PHIL202: Philosophy of Science

Unit 1: What Is Philosophy of Science?
“Philosophy of science is about as useful to scientists as ornithology
is to
birds.” [1]

Of all the intellectual disciplines, the sciences make the strongest
claims to provide us with knowledge of the way the world is. But how
does science work? What do scientists do that makes their research
particularly worthy of our attention? Why do they pursue some inquiries
rather than others? And does science really live up to its claims to
provide us with objective and rational knowledge? Answering these
questions involves attention to scientific practice and the results of
scientific research, as well as familiarity with past and present
episodes of scientific inquiry. But beyond such sociological and
historical information, answering these questions requires subsuming the
myriad details of scientific research and practice under general
concepts and judging them in light of evaluative norms. These further
tasks fall within the province of the philosophy of science.

[1] Attributed to Richard Feynman in Donald E. Simanek and John C.
Holden, Science Askew: A Light-Hearted Look at the Scientific World
(Philadelphia: Institute of Physics Publishing, 2002) , 215.

Unit 1 Time Advisory
This unit should take approximately 7 hours to complete.

☐ Subunit 1.1: 2 hours

☐ Subunit 1.2: 2 hours

☐ Subunit 1.3: 3 hours

☐ Reading: 1 hour

☐ Assessment: 2 hours

Unit1 Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
- List some standard opinions from scientists about scientific
practice and scientific knowledge.
- Summarize and assess some opinions from scientists about the
usefulness and relevance of philosophy to scientific practice.
- Distinguish philosophical questions about science from
psychological, sociological, and historical questions about science.
- Identify questions about science that fall within the province of
philosophy of science.

Instructions: Please click on the link above and watch the video.
Nobel prize-winning physicist and popular science writer Richard
Feynman offers his opinions about how scientists discover new laws
and identifies the characteristics that distinguish science from
non-science. What are Feynman’s ideas on the distinctive features
of the scientific method? Write his opinions down for reference, in
order to compare and assess his ideas with claims made by
philosophers of science in later units.
Watching this lecture and pausing to take notes should take
approximately 1 hour.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please click on the link above and watch the video.
To read the transcript, click on the box in the lower right hand
corner labeled “Show transcript” and select the appropriate language
you wish to read. The transcript will appear beneath the video.

Physicist David Deutsch presents his thoughts on the nature and
power of scientific investigation, as well as on the distinction
between mythical and scientific thinking. He relies, in part, on
ideas from the philosopher Karl Popper (whom you will study later in
this course). Deutsch touches upon several topics you will learn
about in this course: the theory-ladenness of observation, the
significance of testability, the nature of explanation, and theory
choice. What are Deutsch’s opinions on these topics? Write his
opinions down for reference, in order to compare his ideas with
claims made by philosophers of science in later units.

Watching this lecture and pausing to take notes should take
approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please click on the link above and read the entire
article.
With his version of the scientific method, mathematician Mike Adler
represents a common opinion of scientists toward philosophy. What
reasons does Adler give for supposing that philosophy is not a
reliable method for gaining access to truths about the world? Why
does he think science offers a better method?
Reading this article and answering these questions should take
approximately 1 hour.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please click on the link above and read the entire
article.

Philosopher Alva Noë identifies certain problems that, in his
opinion, scientists are not in a position to solve by doing
science. He also identifies certain philosophical ideas that some
scientists take for granted without realizing their complexity.
What are some distinctively philosophical problems, prompted by
science, that Noë identifies? What are the philosophical ideas that
he believes certain scientists have uncritically adopted? Finally,
relate Noë’s opinions about the relation of science and philosophy
to Adler’s opinions in the previous reading.

Reading this article and answering these questions should take
approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please click on the link above and read the entire
transcript.
You should be able to identify at least two differences between
philosophy of science, on the one hand, and sociology of science,
history of science, and psychology of science, on the other hand.
You also should be able to make a list of some questions and tasks
that are appropriate to philosophy of science. (As you do so, keep
in mind the readings by Adler and Noë from the previous subunit.)
Reading this lecture and taking appropriate notes should take
approximately 1 hour.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: This assessment will ask you to use your initial
understanding of the nature of philosophy of science to provide a
preliminary evaluation of Richard Feynman’s remark that “Philosophy
of science is about as useful to scientists as ornithology is to
birds.” Use the “Assessment 1 – Guide to
Responding”
(PDF) to help you. Please check your essays against the
“Assessment 1 – Self-Assessment
Rubric”
(PDF).

This assessment will take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.